The present invention relates to a modular test tube rack configured for assembly with similarly constructed racks.
Test tube racks are found in laboratories and serve to hold test tubes during various analytical and processing procedures.
Racks may be arranged in modular fashion so that a plurality of these racks can be handled as a single rack. It has been found useful to provide handles which can be connected to the rack arrangement to facilitate transportation thereby eliminating the use of trays or other handling devices.
One example of a modular test tube rack arrangement may be found described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,603 issued Dec. 8, 1992 to Landsberger in which a plurality of test tube racks are disposed side by side and coupled together at opposite sides by means of clamps to form a modular test tube rack arrangement. Handles engage the clamps to provide a balanced pivot handle arrangement for transporting the modular set of connected racks. Other modular tube rack arrays have been devised such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,907 issued Feb. 15, 1994 to Franchere et al.
The support racks for test tubes which exist presently consist of plastic blocks in which holes are perforated to form rows and columns. None, however, are configured with a universality intention in order to answer the needs of new technologies. This requires for users to have in store two types of racks: for example, one model having 80 positions strictly for micro-centrifuge tubes and a second model having 96 positions which can receive tubes of 0.5 to 2.0 ml. The 96 position models are voluminous and take a lot of place on working tables. Also, this double inventory is expensive.
Generally, the products must be stored in a restricted space, such as a freezer or a refrigerator. In order to maximize the use of such space, the racks must be juxtaposed one on top of the other, in which case the racks rest on the caps of the tubes of the rack disposed therebeneath. This results in an unstable assembly where the tubes may easily fall and break their contents lost and the storing space contaminated.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems associated with presently used racks. This is achieved by providing a modular test tube rack for easy stacking assembly with similarly constructed racks.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a rack which is reversible; in other words, a rack with its top wall being formed of wells adapted to receive a given number and size of tubes and when the body is reversed, it is configured to receive an other given number and size of tubes.
The present invention therefore relates to a modular test tube rack for assembly with similarly constructed racks, which comprises:
a flat rectangular body having a top wall, a bottom wall, opposite side walls and opposite end walls; the body displaying, in a first position, a series of wells extending from the top wall to bottom wall and adapted to receive tubes therein; each end wall displaying a handle engaging extension;
a pair of handles respectively mounted at opposite end walls; each handle having a lower portion having means adapted to tightly engage the extension of the end wall of the body and to extend vertically therefrom; each handle having a hand gripping upper portion displaying a top edge; the lower portion of the handle having a bottom edge configured to anchor with the top edge of an underposed similarly constructed rack thereby enabling a stacking of two or more of the racks.
In a preferred form of the invention, the body displays a second series of wells extending from the bottom wall to the top wall whereby, when the body is inverted to a second position inversed relative to the first position, it may receive other test tubes. The handles are reversibly mountable to the end wall extensions so as to still enable a stacking of racks when the body is in the second position.
In another form of the invention, a cover is provided which is adapted to rest on the side walls and end walls of the body in either the first or second positions.
In a further form of the invention, the opposite side walls of the body display slots in which dowels are received enabling racks to be juxtaposedly interconnected.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detailed description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.